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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 11, 2018)
Wednesday, July 11, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 9 Library exhibit features acrylic pours By Helen Schmidling Correspondent Candice Bruguier’s acrylic pours look like granite. Or maybe they’re ocean’s swirl- ing waters as seen from high above. Or like clouds? What do you see in the multicolored shapes? Are they abstract? Oh, look … it’s a wolf’s head. Or maybe a raptor! Wildly colorful acrylic poured paintings by Candice Bruguier are now hanging in the Computer Room of the Sisters Library, throughout July. Candice was an artist before she could talk. Born in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in 1981, she grew up along the beaches and low coun- try of the South. Her mother carried markers, crayons and paper to keep her busy wher- ever she went. Throughout school, she practically lived in the art room, and everyone thought she’d choose that as her profession. After high school, she attended Coastal Carolina University — as an art major, of course — but that only lasted one semester. She still loved art, but the restrictions of art class stifled her active imagination. She knew that if she enrolled in another class, she’d lose her passion and never paint, draw, or create again. Looking for the next adventure, she left college and went to flight school and aviation mechanics air- frame and power plant (A&P) school in 2000. “I needed something interesting, unexpected, and extraordinary,” she said, something to challenge her intellect and satisfy her quest for knowledge. She earned her pilot’s license and began A&P training. Then the event that changed our country for- ever happened on September 11, 2001. “I was conflicted and unsure of my future, so I joined the Air Force,” she said. Her assignment? Military intelligence. She was stationed at Shaw AFB in South Carolina, assigned to the 20th Fighter Wing. During her time at Shaw, she was deployed three times: to Iraq, to Uzbekistan, and to Bahrain. She still loved art, but it took a back seat to her career. Sometimes she’d draw while riding in the belly of an aircraft on assignment. She was trained as an inter- rogator for Army Human Intelligence, and was again deployed to Iraq. Upon returning to the States, Bruguier was sta- tioned at Hurlburt Field in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. She became an intelligence instructor at Air Force Special Forces Weapon School. She still carried art in her back pocket. After Hurlburt Field, she was selected for service in the Army Warrant Officer Corps, continuing her career in human intelligence. Fate intervened again. A severe neck injury forced a medical discharge from the Army. But she contin- ued to deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan as a civilian government contractor for the next seven years. During her final year as a contrac- tor in Afghanistan in 2016, she met her husband, Chase Bruguier. When they got mar- ried, she decided it was time to come home — a new home in Central Oregon. Chase is the only brother with four sisters in the multi- talented Bruguier family, from Sisters. “His whole family is musical and artistic,” Candice said. When Chase came home and introduced Candice to this area, she fell in love once more, this time with art. Her original art began with realism, portraits, and exact, almost photographic repro- ductions of what she saw. But during the long snowy win- ter of 2016-17, she found yet another adventure, one that was as free as her personal spirit: Pouring acrylics. The technique involves mixing acrylic paint with a pouring medium, layering Cutting-edge technology to get your carpet its cleanest! Baby & Pet Safe • Red Stain Removal • Chemical-free Cleaning F RE S H EN Y OUR C AR P E T S F OR S UM M ER G U ES T S ... C A L L F O R J U LY L Y VA C AT A T I O N - R E N TA L - CL EANING SPE CI AL S! Call or text 458-292-6842 30 Years Experience Sisters Owned & Operated Chamber Member selected colors, then letting it all go on a blank canvas. No two pours are ever the same, even when the identical col- ors are used. The whorls and swirls, cells and bubbles, and intense color contrasts and combinations are eye-pop- ping. Sometimes, the result is suggestive of an actual land- form, an animal, or a tree. Then Bruguier will go back over the piece to highlight that suggestive form, or per- haps add the silhouette of the animal. Every new painting is an adventure. The wonderful aspect is that a piece can be created in custom shades for a specific décor. Or, the décor can come together around a favorite poured painting. While stationed over- seas, Candice earned a bach- elor’s degree from Southern New Hampshire University, online, where she’s now working toward a master’s with a focus on American history, military history, and Native American history. Candice and Chase just bought a home in Sisters and they’re busy remodeling. Candice acquired a horse, and PHOTO BY HELEN SCHMIDLING Candice Bruguier’s work is on display at Sisters Library through July. traded to a new Harley. “I just got a soft-tail slim,” she said. “I was on a Road Glide, but I down- sized to the 1950s bobber- style bike. Chase and I have biked throughout Oregon, and I biked a lot in North and South Carolina,” she said. “I love horsepower — and I get that from my dad. I’m either in leather chaps or a leather vest and jackets.” Every day, she continues to work hard toward goals and a future that might soon include kids. “I’ve been out of the mili- tary for a while, but I worked at contracting for so long. I’m not sure what I want to do, but maybe it’s just time to own a business and have kids,” she said. “I want to own a biker bar, really bad!” she said.
